Style Spy

Leave Your Umbrellas At Home

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Now here's some weather I can get excited about -- Tropical Storm Cristobal! When I heard this announced on the radio, a very large smile appeared on my face, as I imagined what it would be like if my most beloved designer of all time created a storm. In my dreams, just such a thing as this happens -- chicness and glamor rain down from the heavens! Couture clouds pelt us with perfectly constructed garments! Can you imagine? Around our feet swirl a flood of creations as magnifique as these...

A "sac" dress. Marvelous. This is from 1956, but you could still wear this and look cutting-edge.

Oh, his sleeves... His sleeves alone are worthy of museum retrospectives. Look...

Could you just die?

Gorgeous cape with perfectly tailored sleeveless sheath beneath it.

This is the sort of thing that made Diana Vreeland say, "If a woman came in in a Balenciaga dress, no other woman in the room existed."

That jacket is a piece of sculpture.

I would kill for this dress. Is that not the chic-est thing you've ever seen??? I want one in every color. I want one in charmeuse, one in silk velvet, one in lightweight wool crepe...

The legendary Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, one of the most beautiful humans to ever walk the earth.

Remind you of anything?

Yeah, Miuccia does her homework.

As do the ladies at Marchesa...

And Christopher Bailey over at Burberry...

Aaaaaand John Galliano...

Here's the man himself:

Handsome devil, wasn't he?

I've had a little good Balenciaga fortune rain down on me in the last couple of months, in the form of fabulous bargains. Here's a wonderful dress that's wool jersey and so I won't be able to wear it for a few months yet, but I didn't care, I had to have it.

This is modern Balenciaga, and I love it because it's Ghesquiere doing a wonderful job of translating vintage to new. Hark back up to that brown sac dress from 1956 and look at the similarities. I do run hot & cold on Ghesquiere -- sometimes I adore him and sometimes I just can't quite bring myself to love it, but as time goes on and I see more and more of his clothes, I am beginning to recognize how he subverts the vintage designs into his own aesthetic, and to appreciate it more. He's a very young designer, I'm sure things will only get better and more interesting. This dress, though, needed no thought or translation at all -- it was love at first sight.

The stripes are a couple of different shades of purple, black, and a deep, deep forest green, which you can't really tell from this photo. The gathers down the front are a whole separate panel connected at neck and waist. I am going to have to hem the sleeves, obviously. (Not sure I want to meet the woman whose arms are long enough for those sleeves...)

I also love the bubble shape of the skirt -- and how perfect are my Miu Mius with this? Oh, I just love it. Tapping my toes impatiently waiting for fall to come.

Another unexpected Balenciaga windfall from a little while back:

These are the most marvelous, all-purpose black sandals -- only about a 2 1/2 inch heel, great for walking, go with everything. I love them. I was frankly shocked to discover they were Balenciaga, since Ghesquiere's shoes tend to be extremely... extreme. But hey -- no argument from me! I snapped 'em up! I plan on wearing these to ribbons.

So. While someday I hope to acquire real, true vintage Balenciaga from the hands of Cristobal himself, I'll have to make do with this for now. Shouldn't be too terribly difficult.

Photos: HeavenofGowns.com, OperaGloves.com, KerryTaylorAuctions.com, Meadows Museum, Style.com, Texas Fashion Collection, AP, Style Spy

Do Ask, Do Tell

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Years ago, when I lived in New York City, I taught English as a Second Language at a refugee resettlement agency. As anyone who's ever done something like this knows, you wind up trying to teach your students far more than just language, and one of the things that I was constantly harping at my students was to ask people for things. Do you need help with something? Well, ask for it! Maybe, they'll say yes, at worst they'll say no, and until you ask you'll never know one way or another. You might think something is impossible, but it might not seem so to another person, and if you don't ask, you don't get. So ask.

This was a lesson I remembered not long ago and acted on to wonderful result.

This cuff is one of my favorite things:

It's Kenneth Jay Lane, and not only is it wonderful because -- well, look at it! It's just wonderful! It's also wonderful because it was a gift from my dear English Rose and traveled all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and half another continent to come & live with me, and so that makes it even more special. It's very, very me -- big, dramatic, un-miss-able, a little flashy. It's also heavy as heck, because it's enameled metal with all those crystals embedded in it and it's a good two inches wide. This is not a flexible piece of metal -- there is a hinge on one side of the opening at the back to allow some give to slide it on & off, but there's no adjusting this cuff to fit the wrist. The problem has always been that I have very narrow wrists, and while that's good because it makes the thing easy to slide on, it's bad because it's also easy to slide off. I've just lived with that, because I didn't see what I could do to make a difference. I couldn't re-size the cuff, the metal is enameled. I couldn't stiffen the hinge, because I don't think that's possible and even if it were, then it would be too hard to get on. I've lost it more than once, although it has always just landed on the table next to my plate, or the couch where I was sitting, or something like that, to no ill-effect. But a while back I wore it to a wedding and the dingdong thing slid off my arm onto the marble floor in the bathroom of the restaurant and I nearly had a heart attack. It miraculously suffered no harm from its loud & horrifying crash to the floor, but that was it for me. I knew I had to do something, because I want to keep wearing this cuff for the rest of my life and I didn't want to risk it anymore.

I asked a client who has a lot of nice jewelry where she takes her things for repairs & whatnot and she directed me to Franzetti Trends and Traditions Jewelry here in Austin. I took the cuff in and, after a consultation with Bobby, their designer/gemologist (who looks like he hasn't even graduated high school yet but good googly-moogly, does he make purty jools!) I left the cuff there for him to work some magic. Which he did.

Ta-DAAAAAAAH!!!! Boy Wonder drilled two tiny holes in either end of the cuff and attached a catch chain with a hook. An incredibly simple solution to the problem. I. Am. Thrilled! I can wear my bracelet and wave my arms around like the madwoman I am! Now, it's tricky to get the thing fastened & unfastened because there's almost no slack in the chain (Note to self: Must find husband. Or ladies' maid.), but I've been practicing with some tweezers and I think I've got the technique down.

And the cost for this little miracle? Shamefully low. Honestly, the only places I could get lunch for that little money have drive-through windows and cartoon mascots. I would have paid much more than that for this kind of result.

The moral of this story? You don't ask, you don't get! Another moral is that it pays to have people to go to for good recommendations. (For which you have me, thank goodness!) Still another is that if you have something you regard as precious, it's worth a little time & trouble to make sure you can keep it with you for years to come.

How about you guys? Do you have any treasures that you've had to take steps to safeguard or make more wearable? Any clever solutions to fashion problems you'd like to share? Let's hear 'em!

Also, if you live in Austin and are a fan of jewelry, I heartily recommend a visit to Franzetti's. They have beautiful, beautiful things and the people who work there are lovely and really know their stuff. There was a couple shopping for a non-diamond engagement ring when I went to pick up my cuff, and while I was cruising the display cases I overheard the gemologist discussing various kinds of precious & semi-precious stones. At one point he explained why the crystal structure of an emerald makes it more fragile than say, a garnet. Wow. These folks have forgotten more about rubies & emeralds & pearls (oh my!) than I will ever even know. Also -- did I mention all the pretty, preeeeeeetty sparklies??? Preeeeeeeetty! Stop in & have a look around.

Photos: Style Spy

Wherein Style Spy Is Reminded Why She Seldom Buys Suede Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Dangit. Dangit dangit dangit!

Remember the cute white suede gladiator sandals I mentioned buying not long ago? Well, I wore them for the first time with jeans, and the dye from the jeans rubbed off on the sandals!

Aaaiieeeeee!!! Oh, I'm so cheesed!!! The jeans have been washed before, but apparently they still have enough color in them to bleed on my shoes. Dangit! Because now I'm completely in love with the shoes and I don't want to do without them. And they were so cute with my little straight-leg jeans and a loose summer top!

Well. That's what I'll be spending a big chunk of the weekend on. I've got the suede cleaner, I've got the suede eraser, I've got the little wire brush. If worse comes to worst, I'll hit them with some white shoe polish, possibly. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Dangit! Dangit dangit dangit!! No more suede! I never learn!

Although you know what would get me over my Fear of Suede? These:

Ahhhhhh... I can feel my fear melting away just looking at them. These would definitely also do the trick:

Oh, in those shoes I would fear absolutely nothing! The top ones are Valentino and the second ones are Miu Miu, both of which being brands that suit my feet extremely well. And either of these gorgeous shoes -- both red suede, and yet so very, very different! -- could tempt me to make the same foolish mistake again.

Because sometimes learning the hard way is totally worth it.

Photos: Style Spy, Neimanmarcus.com

Love and Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Recently, Style Spy treated herself to a pair of these bad boys...

They've been one of the Want Monster's favorite ways to poke me for a while now, and they were way on sale and so I got 'em. Believe it or not, I needed a pair of black sandals. It's true, I swear -- somehow in the vastness of the closet I had neglected to install the requisite pair of strappy black sandals. I have the gorgeousgorgeous snakeskin and feather Blahniks, but, well, they're snakeskin and feather. Honestly, they're a little bit worrisome to wear. I'm fretted to death I'll ruin them. (This is the downside of loving your shoes too much. Is there a support group for this anywhere?)

The version of this sandal that I have is less extreme -- there are just the three stars on the front of the shoe and they have a regular, all-one-piece sole without the toe shapes. The insoles & heels are the same gold as the stars. They're pretty spectacular. Simple. Beautiful. They special-up everything. (Although I learned the hard way that this is yet another pair of shoes I need to not wear with hand-hemmed slacks -- the points on the stars catch on the hem threads.) But Saturday I was prepping an outfit that will feature them and I noticed something.

(Okay, just stop right there. Yes, I prep outfits. Meaning, I put the outfit together and try it on to make sure everything works and it looks good together. A dress rehearsal, as it were. Sometimes I do it just to entertain myself -- tells you something about my madly exciting life, doesn't it? -- but in this particular case I'm going to have to change into this outfit with not a lot of time and I can't be futzing with it in the moment, it has to be ready to go. The occasion is a couple of days from now, but I had time this weekend, so I checked it off the list. I make no apologies for this -- I have been playing dress-up all my life, I'm not about to stop just because I'm a so-called grown-up.)

At any rate, prepping the outfit, blahblah, get the shoes, and what did I notice? This:

Yes. Toothmark. And no, not mine. Delicious as these sandals are, I have not attempted to eat them. Here is the culprit:

How she can sleep with her guilty conscience, I'll never know...

Look at her, all fluffy, angelic innocence. You'd never know, would you, that inside that adorable furball lurks the mouthy oral fixation of a teething Labrador retriever puppy. Babycat is a chewer, I regret to say. Magazines, plants, shoelaces, tissue paper -- and patent leather is an especially delectable treat, apparently. It is bizarre behavior, I'll grant you, but at five years old she shows no signs of letting it go, so this is what it is. It certainly inspires me to put my stuff away as soon as I'm done with it, for fear of this very occurrence. But evidently I relaxed my vigilance at some point for a few moments. It couldn't have been long, but it was long enough for Shine to get in a nibble. I hope she enjoyed it, because she'll never have that chance again.

Was I upset? Yeah, a little bit. But in a way, it's good for this sort of thing to happen to me every now and again. I tend to get a little carried away with precious-izing my things. And they're just things. Lovely, artful, and sometimes very expensive, but still -- just things. Whereas this fluffbucket here

is my beating heart, the love of my life, and my most dependable source of joy. Stefano Pilati, genius that he may be, has yet to create anything so wonderful as her.

Which is not to say I'm going to start leaving my shoes lying around, let me be perfectly clear.

Photos: Style.com, Style Spy

Shopportunity -- July 16

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:25:00 +0000

Big Sale at Macy's!!

Enjoy $.99 Shipping on Clearance Items at Macys.com! Offer Valid 16-July-2008 through 20-July-2008.

Many lovely things, including the following dress, which is so Audrey Hepburn I could swoon:

And since we were speaking of white dresses the other day...

What's more summery than white eyelet?

To go with your summer dress, these adorable espadrilles:

And look, look! Look at the super cute multi-color patent flat sandals! Oh, I LOVE these!

For the men!

I know, I know. Don't freak out. Here's what you do. You put on the shirt and you tuck it into these nice flat-front khakis

And then you toss this great casual cotton jacket (maybe not this color, but it comes in others) over it

and you finish off the whole shebang with these great, comfortable slip-on shoes that are not in the least pimpin'

Voila! You are now the best-looking guy in the room, and discerning eyes notice and are impressed by your confident fashion know-how.

(Click on photos for links to items.) Lots of good stuff at the Macy's site. So go! Shop!!!

French In Action

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Oh, mon dieu...

Would you LOOK at those? Seriously, I feel a little faint beholding these footwear wonders. Good googly-moogly, those are amazing. Givenchy? And please note the surface they're standing on. Trust me, Carrie Bradshaw's got nothing on ces dames, because I assure you that the sidewalks of New York are like a roller rink compared to Paris' cobblestones. Click on the photo to be taken over to the wonderful Style and the City -- Paris blog, where dear Kamel shoots amazing pictures of people on the Parisian street, including a whole raft of amazing shoes that were attending the fashion shows of Couture Week. Really swoony.

Oooooooh, I miss Paris...

Photo: StyleandtheCity.com

Do Forgive Me...

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:12:00 +0000

...for splashing myself all over the blog the last couple of days, but I had to show you this photo from the White Party I attended Saturday (see Sunday's entry below). It was taken by Austin photographer David Weaver for the Austin-American Statesman and I just think it's a wonderfully fun photo. The glowing orbs behind me were giant lighted plastic spheres that were resting in the grass behind the sofa where I'm seated. I don't think I've ever had my pictures taken as many times as I did that night -- all the photographers were mad for my hat!

There's a slideshow of photos from the party here.

Photo: David Weaver

Let Them Eat Crème Brulée!

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:15:00 +0000

My fabulous friend Plumcake has many wonderful qualities, and among the best of them is the fact that she somehow contrived to get herself born on Bastille Day, thereby ensuring a lifetime of perfectly good reasons to be taken to a French restaurant at least once a year. How clever was that of her? And how clever am I, to have made friends with her and therefore to have the opportunity to take her to said French restaurant?

Of course, because I am a dedicated fashionista, I determined that Plumcake's birthday dinner at Chez Nous on Bastille Day was a very special occasion that required a wardrobe to match. An all-French wardrobe, to be precise. (Liberté! Égalité! Gaultier!) Okay, some of it is because I'm a fashionista, but mostly it's because I'm a silly, silly woman who happens to be a mad francophile. Also, lately, I've been very intrigued by the idea of wearing my Hermès scarves as halter tops, and I thought this was the time to do it. Seriously -- if I don't get to go to a bal des pompiers and hang out with the gorgeous Parisian firemen, the least I can do is eat crème brulée while swathed in Hermès, right?

Now, this is risky. Not because the halter idea is very daring -- when you're as small-busted as I am, overexposure is pretty much a non-issue. The risk comes because French food? Can be messy. All those yummy sauces? They drip. The butter. The cream. The crumbly bread. Fraught with messiness, and I am a notoriously careless eater, and the wine doesn't help with that. Also, I'm a gesticulator. It's difficult for me to make a point -- hell, it's difficult for me to form a sentence -- without an accompanying hand motion. So get me all worked up over one of my pet peeves (Crocs, say. Or Juicy Couture sweatpants.) while I've got a forkful of truite amandine and there's no telling what might happen. (Although it would be unconscionably cruel to bring up those subjects with me while I was enjoying French food. Whaddya wanna do, gimme the agita?) So I'll need to go slow and be careful. This is not a bad thing, it will help me to savor my meal.

I have two Hermès scarves, both acquired on my last trip to Paris. This is my Jardins d'Hiver

I'm sorry, this is a terrible photo, but trust me when I say it's a work of art. And this is my Jeu d'Omnibus:

But how best to do this?

First, I did some experimenting on my own.

This is very simple -- I tied two corners around my neck, and two corners around my waist, and voila! A top! It required some futzing, I rolled the tied ends at the neck a few times to create more of a cord effect and take up some of the extra fabric. I like this -- it's quite full on the front, but that makes it seem luxurious, with all that billowy fabric, and it does a good job of showing off the design of the scarf. Also, this method gives it the most length, which I prefer with the skirt I'm going to wear with it -- I want the scarf to come down over the waistband of the skirt a bit.

Next I tried the method recommended by Hermès:

This is also extremely simple, three knots instead of two. First, you tie a knot in the very center of the scarf on the reverse side to take up the slack in the fabric. And then you do what I did the first time -- two ends around the neck, two ends around the waist. This gives a much more fitted effect, which is nice, and shows off the bright blue border of the scarf, which is a color that does wonders for me. The downside is that it's shorter, you can't see the design as well, and you've got a big ol' knot pressed up against your sternum. (It's a knot of Hermès silk, of course, so it's not exactly torture.)

So these two methods are both great with the Jardins d'Hiver, but when I tried them with my Jeu d'Omnibus, I couldn't manage them. The blue scarf is a classic 90 x 90 cm size, but the pink scarf is a vintage style, which means it's smaller -- only 70 x 70 cm. That makes it too small to fit around my ribcage and knot in the back. Hmmmmmmm, what to do? So I did some surfing on the Series of Tubes and found (oh, I wish I could remember where) this:

Brilliant!!! Put on a fairly substantial necklace. Fold the scarf in half diagonally to make a triangle. Bring the points of the triangle up and tie them in a knot around the necklace, and the bottom points around your waist. This is genius, and I love the way it looks with this scarf, whose circular design really works well here. It fits very closely and feels very secure. I also tried this with the blue one:

Looks great, but it feels a little less secure because there's more fabric and so it's looser on the sides. Still -- pretty fab, non?

So I'm all set. I have also found a diagram for wearing the scarf as a one-shoulder sarong-kinda thing, but the geometry is more complicated and I've yet to master it. Saving that for a day when I've got a little more time and patience. And maybe someone to help, because a gal could pull a muscle trying to reach around herself to tie those knots.

And since we're speaking of birthdays, mine is coming up next month and I've decided that I want my birthday treat to myself to be this:

This pattern is called Jungle Love. Isn't that the most amazing thing? This isn't the colorway I'm after -- there's a red version that you can see here. Oh, it's just ravishing, I love it like a boyfriend. So I've set myself a goal. I'm socking away my pennies in my Luxury Tithe, and if I can go a month without buying any shoes, clothes or other fashion items, I'll treat myself to a new scarf for my birthday. It really shouldn't be that hard for me to stay on a No Buy for a month -- I've shopped my brains out over the last few months. In my defense, a lot of my wardrobe was no longer wearable due to my weight loss. Seriously -- even some of my shoes are now too big. But I've filled in the gaps pretty admirably and now I need to just work what I have and give the charge cards a breather. I know my friend Deja Pseu over at Une Femme d'un Certain Age is also on a No Buy -- so now you've got a No Buy Buddy, Deja! Anyone else who wants to join in, feel free to hop on the bandwagon!

Oh, and Joyeux Fête Nationale to all!!

Photos: Style Spy, Luxury-Scarves.com

Midsummer White Scene

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:06:00 +0000

This Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a really special event, a fundraiser for an amazing Austin organization called Lifeworks. (Please take a moment and follow that link to read more about this amazing service organization and the work they do for young people. They are truly inspiring.)

The event was a White Party -- meaning everyone attending was supposed to wear white, like a Great Gatsby fantasy come to life. It was a really beautiful party, with gorgeous decor and yummy food. In all honesty, there were wildly varying degrees of success as far as fashion choices were concerned. I saw some people who looked really great, and I saw some who were... well... challenged.

There are a few important rules to follow when you're wearing white, and the most important ones have to do with fit and underpinnings. Depending on the fabric, white can be especially unforgiving if the garment doesn't fit properly. Put bluntly, if you're going to squeeze yourself into a too-tight dress, you may -- MAY -- be able to almost pull it off in a dark color like black or navy, provided the lighting at your event is pretty dim and and you don't have to move around too much. But my dears, skin-tight white jersey is no woman's friend. I don't care if you're a Victoria's Secret model, some things are just better left unsaid, if you know what I mean.

Also especially important are your support mechanisms. You need to find some that disappear under your clothes, which means doing the legwork involved in searching out just the right nude. As I've noted here before, humans come in many, many different shades of nude, and so does lingerie. Next time you go shopping for a nude bra, wear a thin white blouse to try on over it to avoid any later heartbreak under the harsh office lights. And one more undergarment note: as many a thoughtless starlet has discovered, backlighting is a tricky, tricky thing. If you are wearing a white dress at night, think about that. One of the features of Saturday's party's fantastic decor was a dance floor with some rather bright pinspots aimed at it. I now know a little more about some of my fellow guests than I really needed to, if you know what I mean. I refer you, once again, to your friend the half-slip.

However! Overall it was a tremendous success -- really, what's more refreshing in the July Texas heat than a good white dress? Oh, it cools a person off just thinking about it.

And one person who definitely got it right Saturday was jewelry designer Kendra Scott, who was one of the event's sponsors. Ms. Scott, who went out of her way to introduce herself to me and my friend, was lovely, and wearing a white goddess-inspired dress with a full, floaty skirt and gold beading & embroidery at the waist that was very, very beautiful. She looked great. She was also wearing these:

If memory serves, they were a different color combination, but they were gaw-juss. See, these are the sort of thing that make me, every now and again, re-think my no-piercing position. Because I could really rock those earrings. I'm completely smitten with them.

I saw something else of Kendra's that I really loved, and it was this:

An assortment of her jewelry was a lot in the white-themed silent auction, and in it was this cuff. Very much right up Style Spy's alley, non? Except for the color. When I saw it I said out loud, oh, if only that were in yellow gold. Sure enough, though, in the fashion show that went on later (featuring a selection of white garments from local boutique Estilo), one of the models was sporting the cuff in yellow gold. Yummy. I do love the white stone, but I may like it best of all just like this:

(click on photos for links to these fab items)

Oh, how fantastic is that? We all know how Style Spy feels about a good cuff.

Yours truly was also on the block, in a manner of speaking -- four hours of my Wardrobe Therapy services were up for silent auction. As was this adorable little accessory:

This sweet little Labrador retriever puppy no doubt brought in a pretty penny for Lifeworks, and provided some great entertainment as well. The fabulous Plumcake took this photo of the two of us making friends.

So how was everyone else's weekend? Any fabulous fashion finds? Don't keep them a secret!

Photos: KendraScott.com

Weekend Shopportunity -- July 11

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:11:00 +0000

Oh, sales like crazy all over the place!

Pink Mascara has another 10% off all sale items with the code hotsummer. Lots of fun stuff there.

I just bought a great little pair of white suede gladiator sandals -- not these, but similar. I've already matched them with about 70% of my summer wardrobe. Dead useful, these babies.

What you can't see in this blouse is the tiny red stripe in the fabric. So cute.

At eLuxury, take an additional 20% off all sale items until midnight tonight.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Cotton Voile Shirt

All I want these days are nice light blouses that won't stick to me in the heat. Cotton voile is one of my favorite things in the world.

Paul Smith Striped Pants

For the mens -- great khaki pants (although please hem them shorter than this!) with a subtle stripe. So subtle, as a matter of fact, you can't really see it in the photo.

Michael Kors Babe Sandal

The perfect hippie chic sandal for all those great, loose summer dresses you're wearing. (Remember, Kors' shoes run big. You may need to go down a half-size if you usually wear European-sized shoes.)

Shoes.com is having their monthly Saturday sale tomorrow. Holy cow, this site has really been stepping things up. There are a lot of really gorgeous shoes here.

Beautiful embossed leather pump with a faboo sparkly bit. Style Spy loves a sparkly bit.

Are they practical? Oh, heavens, no! Do we care? Oh, heavens, no! Just divinely decadent.

Fantastic nude sandal that will go with everything -- dresses, jeans, whatever. And it's Pucci!

Love the 40's vibe on these. These are for my friend Plumcake -- I do believe they will make her a bit swoony.

Great little flat -- also comes in brown & black, if red is not your thing.

How sweet are these? These come in red & black, as well. How adorable with a nice crisp white summer dress.

So, go! Shop!! It's too hot to go outside and gas is too dingdong expensive anyway -- shop the series of tubes!

Forward Motion

noreply@blogger.com (StyleSpy) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:26:00 +0000

Last week in Paris, Alessandra Facchinetti showed her first couture collection for the near-mythic house of Valentino. Ms. Fachinetti is a brave, brave woman -- not only has she taken over designing one of the most-recognized names in modern fashion history, but the original of the name is still very much alive and with us.

How'd she do? Well, brilliantly, if you ask me. I really loved Fachinetti's pre-fall and fall shows, and with couture she's taken the step up you expect to see at this level. She's continuing the shapes and themes she's been working on, but couture turns the volume up to 11. Haute couture, as a reminder, is the segment of a design house's work that is bespoke, made to measure, often one-of-a-kind. These are not garments you will see hanging on the racks at Bergdorf Goodman, or even Valentino boutiques. They are ordered by and custom-made for a specific customer. Traditionally the couture customer was from Europe or America, but the growth areas these days in couture are to be found in Asia, the Middle East, and the former Soviet republics. There is much discussion in the fashion world of how this shifting demographic might change the world of couture, and personally, I think that is already beginning to happen; but anything that keeps this art form alive is good news as far as I'm concerned.

One of the ways change in couture is trending, I think, is that it's beginning to skew younger. The classic couture customer was an established, wealthy (it goes without saying -- these are some expeeeeensive clothes) femme d'un certain age, with a pedigree or an impressive portfolio behind her -- the sorts of people whose names adorn college libraries and plaques on the entrances of museums. These days, wealth doesn't necessarily trickle down through the generations the way it did in previous centuries -- enormous fortunes pop up overnight like huge, liquid-asset mushrooms in some of the more rapidly emerging economies in the world.

But I digress. I am not here to opine on couture in general, but Valentino couture in specific. If pressed to describe the Valentino aesthetic, my first adjective would be "pretty." Other adjectives spring to mind: feminine, delicate, romantic, soft, flowing. There are the beautiful silk chiffons, the stunning floral prints, the gorgeous, always-to-die-for Valentino signature red, the bows (Oh, the bows, the bows!), the perfect ladylike suits. Beautiful clothes that are flawlessly executed and reliably the prettiest things in the room. Anyone who takes over the designing duties for this house has to be respectful of that fact -- that for more than 40 years we have looked to Valentino to give us what is inarguably, ineffably beautiful. There is a nobility in that, I think, in making beauty one's raison d'etre. I do get the idea that Facchinetti appreciates that and honors it, but she is a talented designer and is finding her own way of doing it. According to Style.com, she said about this collection, "I was looking for a strong way to interpret romance, but without the usual sweetness."

That sounds good to me. Tricky, mind you, but I'm intrigued. Romance without sweetness. A lot of people would interpret that as simply "sexy," but Facchineti is too smart for that.

There were many things in this collection that were classic Valentino, and I mean that as a very high compliment.

This dress, with its beautiful flowing chiffon, for example.

Or this lovely thing.

I so love it when the online coverage gives us detail shots of the clothes. Just look at the work in that bodice -- it's glorious. The color is also beautiful -- so delicate.

How about this for possibly the ultimate LBD:

Can you see why this is couture? I will bet you a non-fat sugar-free Frappucino that all of those squillions of pleats in that dress were handmade. Not to mention the beading in the ornaments. It's dizzying to contemplate.

This destroys me. So perfectly, simply lovely. She looks like a Lladro figurine.

I have always loved a cowl neck. It's such a graceful and feminine way to frame a woman's face.

Here's the classic little Valentino suit, but it's starting to get a little interesting.

Facchinetti is playing with the structure a little bit here. The collar is unexpected and hey -- how does that jacket open, anyway? But still those feminine touches -- note the delicate little trumpet sleeve of the blouse peeping out from beneath the jacket.

Oh, that fabric... so gorgeous.

But she's not just imitating the Maestro. She's got some tricks of her own up her sleeve. Like this coat.

This is so lovely. So simple and clean, but not austere. It's the volume in the bottom half of the coat, and the softness of the shoulders, that keep it from being harsh. It's not easy to do simple and sleek without making it severe (just ask Raf Simons), but I think she's succeeding here.

Love that organza collar peeking out. I wish I cold tell what fabric the coat is made of. In my fantasies it's the softest double-faced cashmere. How unspeakably decadent would that be?

So pretty. I'm not sure by what alchemy this dress, which is just laden with feminine signifiers (off-the-shoulder, empire waist, sheer fabric, full sleeves, flounces, frills) still manages to be womanly rather than girly. And once again, I know so many of you hate the bubble skirt, but just look at that! Look at how soft and elegant that looks -- like an abbreviated antebellum ballgown. How can you not love that??

Again with the mind-boggling detail work. All those gathers done by hand, I guarantee you.

This coat is less successful, I think. I admire what she's attempting here, but it's a little too much.

I think if she'd scaled back the volume a little on this it would have been a better choice.

I'd have liked this better if the shape had been pared down and all of the sequins had been applied with that graduated effect instead of the hard edges down the front. It would have gentled it up a bit.

Oh, here's the classic red Valentino gown.

There's just nothing wrong with that. So eye-wateringly beautiful. Notice how she's not wearing a jot of jewelry -- not so much as a single pearl. You didn't even miss it, did you? This is a dress for me and all my flat-chested sisters -- this is exactly the sort of stuff you want happening on the bodice of a dress when you're not very well-endowed. The pleats and ruching help to add a little volume that nature left out, and that gorgeous open neckline with those wide-set straps makes the most of your delicate collar bones. This is not a dress for cleavage. (Although it's even odds that this makes an appearance on some red carpet somewhere, scaled down and shrink-wrapped onto the body of some starlet with her boobs tickling her chin.)

Oh! Style Spy grows faint! The shoulders peek-a-booing up from behind that fan of fabric! Too delicious!

More fabulous structure. I know this is going to be overly architectural for some folks, but I love it.

I'm also fascinated to see it on the runway for Valentino, home of the maidenly luncheon suit. Because not only is this beautiful, but it's pretty cool. Which is not an adjective I often associated with this house.

Again, I think this coat got away from her a little bit. But I do adore the Balenciaga-inspired shoulder, the flare of the collar, and that gorgeous color.

Not to mention this... what the heck do you call this? Some sort of ribbon work. I know there's a word for it when it's made of paper, but I can't for the life of me remember it. Quilling, I think. Whatever it's called, it's unbelievable -- how on earth did they do that?

Oh boy, oh boy...

What's not to love? It's sparkly, it's a little slinky, it's spectacular. Truth of the matter is, that is a very simple concept made incredibly special by a few touches and some truly magnificent workmanship. In lesser hands (I'm talking to you, Elie Saab), that dress would have been awful, or worse yet, predictable. Skin tight, plunging neck, too much exposed area on the torso. But that gentle ruff around the neck, the long sleeves that extend those driblets of sequins down to the wrists... they take the dress out of the realm of tarty and instead make it dreamy. Oh, let us all put our clothes back on, I'm begging. My fondest fashion desire is for more women to remember how sexy you can be from within your clothes, not spilling out of them. In a perfectly cut sleeve, a woman's arm is elegant and expressive. In a high ruffled collar, she holds her neck a little straighter and her head a little higher. If her skirt is not skin-tight, she can move freely and sinuously. Truly -- any woman who trades "mysterious" for "bootylicious" is out of her mind.

And lastly, a little shoe goodness to send you out with.

I think we all know how Style Spy feels about a sparkly shoe -- namely, that it is a Very Good Thing and we all need them.

In all, I'm pretty excited about Alessandra Facchinetti at Valentino. So far it looks as though the house is in very good hands -- respectful but not fearful, and determined to move forward. Let's hope the Powers That Be behind the label see it this way, too, and support her ideas by allowing her enough time to develop a following and build a reputation of her own.

Here's a link to an interview with Facchinetti by Suzy Menkes, of the International Herald Tribune. Take a look at it. Don't miss this, because you'll get a few more incredible close-ups of the clothes, and be introduced to a possible new style icon, Facchinetti herself. She's lovely, and well worth emulating. (Suzy Menkes is a great journalist, but not someone to imitate, bless her.)

Photos: Style.com